Cousins
by BisexualNerd
Summary: On a stormy night, a young Anubis rushes to the comfort of the only person available: His cousin Horus. Set in the time when both boys are young and have not yet completely split from each other.
1. Chapter 1

**Ok so this is my first completely original fanfiction idea, so go a bit easy on me if you think that it's stupid. The dynamic of Anubis and Horus really reminds me of Thor and Loki, except Anubis is not evil, so I like to think that they were closer when they were younger, and drifted apart over the years. I'm also a big fan of de-aging characters. This is set before Set tried to kill Osiris and Isis had to run off with her son. Horus is approximately 8 and Anubis is 5 (in human years). Let me know what you think.**

Horus POV:

Thunder clashed and echoed through the stone halls off the temple, the vibrations akin to a small earthquake. A desert storm, rare enough to most likely be the cause of an elemental magician, had started minutes ago, and was steadily picking up intensity. Despite the noise and vibrations, he felt safe in his silk sheets.

Storms had never bothered him, and the lesser ones brought life and prosperity to the dry land. Even as a young child, he knew not to be afraid of such trivial things. A warrior did not cower in fear from light and sound, and he would be the greatest warrior.

The sound of pattering footsteps broke through the silence between claps of thunder, and Horus became aware of another presence, lurking in the doorway to his room. Striking the flint together to light a torch, he looked towards the presence, who's small figure was shaking slightly.

"Anubis" Horus groaned. "Go to bed. It's just thunder."

Anubis didn't respond, remaining fixated like a statue. Horus could hear his shaking, gasping breathing as the toddler attempted to hold back tears.

"Fine." He muttered.

At the affirmative sound, Anubis raced over, jumped onto the bed and crawling underneath the cover, pressing himself into the protective arms of his cousin. Though the newest addition of his family was odd at times, Horus had to admit: The kid was cute. He had large, innocent eyes that glittered like scarab beetles. He was a tiny thing, even for his age, and rarely spoke.

Horus slung an arm around his shoulder, pulling his cousin closer to him in an effort to cease his shaking.

"It's just a storm. You know it can't hurt you." He muttered, yawning tiredly.

He felt the boy nod his head against his chest. With a sigh, Horus shook his head and attributed it to one of his many quirks. Anubis' breathing steadied, the boy's hearts beating in unison, lulling them both off to a warm and peaceful slumber. And that was how they were found in the morning; Each embracing the other, as close as if they were brothers.

 **Again, let me know what you think. I'll do more like this if you want, or not.**

 **Cat**


	2. Chapter 2

**So it's been like 6 months… I wasn't sure if I was going to add any more stories to this collection, and after writing this I'm even less sure. If any of you are still there, let me know what you think of having a series of oneshots following them in their childhood.**

 **DerbyWolf** **: Here you go! I hope you are still around so that you can see this update and that you actually like it. Let me know if you want me to do any other pieces in this community.**

 **Deanna Sketcher** **: Me too. Me too. That's 90% of the reason I write these things. The thought of these interactions is really nice, but it's something that we'll never actually get by a good writer, like Rick Riordan. So, hopefully, you'll settle for me.**

 **ANONymous: Here you go! I made it longer this time. I really hope you see and like it.**

Imaginary Friends

Horus POV

There it was again. The wall next to his bed dampened the sound, but the occasional giggle and whisper still pierced through the otherwise silent night.

He groaned and tossed over in his bed, pulling one of his several pillows over his head in an attempt to smother the grating sound. He was tempted to burst into his cousin's room and demand he cease the racket, but it was far past midnight, and Father would smite the both of them if they were caught.

The giggles increased to a soft laugh, and Horus groaned, tossing more blankets over his face. The night air was surprisingly chilly. Ordinarily, he would wake drenched in sweat if he wore anything but the most minimal of coverings, but tonight he shivered and pulled a blanket around him.

Another chortle echoed across the hall, and Horus threw the blankets off in exasperation. At this rate, neither of them would be getting any sleep, and he had a sparring match with Bast tomorrow. If no one else was going to do something, he would at least see what could possibly be so funny.

Horus walked over to the door and pressed his ear against the thin wood. The guards regularly circled the princes bedrooms, partially to make sure the princes were safe, but also to ensure that they were not making mischief. Surveillance had only increased as the boys grew up, especially after Horus snuck out with Bast to explore the mortal world. Father had been particularly furious for that act.

He heard the retreating footsteps of a guard and quickly snuck down the hall, sticking to the shadows cast by low burning torches. Slowing opening his cousin's door, his eyes took a moment to adjust to the darkness. Not a single candle was burning in the room, even the fire was dead. The cold that had permeated the hallway was infinitely worse, his breathe forming a strange cloud in front of him.

In the center of the room was a large bundle of blanket which, judging by their movement, contained his insomniatic cousin. He could just make out Anubis' pale face in the center of the pile, eyes bright with mirth. Looking around for the cause of his amusement, Horus saw nothing in the area. The room was devoid of anything abnormal or remotely humorous.

"You make such funny faces, Mai! Do that one again." Anubis called out, making Horus jump nearly out of his skin. Looking again around the room for 'Mai', he saw nothing but scrolls and the occasional article of clothing. But his cousin seemed undeterred by this fact, chortling with laughter.

Disturbed by the sight in front of him, Horus backed away slowly, shutting the door without so much of a creak, and retreated into his bedroom. Perhaps there was an explanation for this besides the answer that his cousin had gone round the bend. An invisibility or divination spell perhaps.

Trying to put the scene from his mind, he focused on the sound of the breeze rusling the curtains and the call of frogs in the distance. Eventually he felt Nut lulling him into a pleasant slumber, and drifted off into blissful silence.

Breakfast the next morning was surprisingly subdued. Ordinarily, Anubis would be chatting animatedly with his aunt and uncle about his latest dream. They could be quite odd at times, and Horus would be lying to himself if he said the occasional description weren't amusing. Horus himself would be wreaking havoc amongst the servants, ordering several dishes and watching them scramble or else seeing how much mutton he could fit in his mouth at once.

But this morning, the cousins seemed scarcely able to lift their heads out of their plates. The circles which plagued Anubis' eyes had only darkened. In fact, they appeared almost as if he had smudged Kohl in them. Horus, himself, found it hard to keep from yawning, and had his head rested in his hands in a most unprincly manner.

Horus caught a concerned look flash between his mother and father before Osiris spoke.

"I see neither one of you have been favoring sleep as of late. Is something the matter?" he questioned, authority failing to cover the worry in his voice.

"Have you taken ill? Should I send Heka?" his mother chimed in, reaching across the table to place her hand on his forehead. She did the same with Anubis before shaking her head at Osiris with furrowed brow. 'No fever,' she mouthed.

"We're not sick, Mother. Someone was just up all night laughing at nothing and kept me up." Horus said, sending a pointed glare at Anubis, who seemed to have taken a particular interest in his bread.

"Anubis. Is this true?" Osiris asked, staring the youngest down until the tension mounted and he raised his head.

"I was playing with Mai. We were making funny faces." Anubis said, ears flushed in embarrassment at being discovered. Silence fell over the hall as everyone in the room froze. Even the servant filling his goblet stopped, sending the beverage spilling over onto the table.

"Anubis… Who is Mai?" Osiris breathed tensely, appearing ready to fight. With a shock, Horus realized the implications of what Anubis had said. If someone had been sneaking into his room at night, the entire palace's security had been breached. Not to mention the failure of the guards to catch the intruder who could threaten the lives of both the princes. No god he knew was named Mai, but a vengeful magician could be almost as dangerous.

"He is just a friend, Uncle. I think he lives in the palace too; it is the only place I see him and he says he cannot leave. We tried asking the guards for permission, but they claimed they could not see him. They must have just been in a foul mood. Why else would they pretend he was invisible?" Anubis prattled on.

"Because he doesn't exist." Horus exclaimed, ignoring the hurt look on the his cousin's face. "I went into your room last night and you were talking to the air."

"I was not! Mai is real!" Anubis yelled, tear brimming his eyes.

"No, you are just insane!" Horus countered.

"Horus!" Osiris shouted, his tone sending icy chills down his spine. Isis moved to comfort his now crying cousin. "That is no way for a prince to behave. I expect better of you."

"But, Father, he was speaking to the air." protested Horus. It was completely unfair how his Mother and Father coddle Anubis. Regardless of their age difference, such treatment had never been something afforded to the elder. When he would question his Mother about it, she would only say something about a 'difficult family life'. As if Horus didn't understand the concept himself.

"Horus, it is not uncommon for children to have imaginary friends." Isis reasoned, running her hands through his cousin's hair.

"But Aunt…" Anubis attempted to protest.

"There is no need to be embarrassed, Anubis. Now go and wash your face. You can tell your Uncle and I all about Mai later." she insisted. Anubis nodded in submission, sparing a disapproving glance at Horus before leaving.

"Horus, you head along as well. You have your match with Bast, remember?" Osiris added. Horus balked at the blatant dismissal. His uncle was worried about something, he was sure of it, and as a warrior it was his job to help protect them. Taking a few steps to be out of eyesight, he quickly hid behind a column.

"Darling, are you alright? It is just an imaginary friend, is it not?" his Mother questioned softly, her voice laced with concern.

"Most likely. But you and I both felt how cold it was last night. I worry the boy is more like me than we had thought. We'll have to keep an eye on his powers, just incase."

His Father was rarely so attentive or concerned about their powers. Horus did not know what it meant for Anubis to be similar to his father, or what importance the chill last night conveyed, but he was sure of one thing; his cousin was not normal.

 **BTW, the end was not Anubis bashing. He is actually one of my favorite characters, just in case you couldn't tell by the fact that all of my writing is about him. He's very relatable which does not bode well for me….**

 **Anyway, if you couldn't figure it out, Mai is a ghost (hence the chill and only Anubis, and presumably Osiris, being able to see him). This is supposed to be like the start of his powers, but since they don't match with what the normal or accepted ones are, he's viewed as either crazy or an over imaginative kid.**

 **IDK, let me know what you think. Feel free to leave constructive criticism or requests for other stories.**

 **Thank you guys for all your support,**

 **Cat**


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